There are a few things in this life that I just gravitate toward. One of them is old sideboards or buffets. I’ve had several slip through my fingers over the years. Getting just close enough to feel like I’d have a chance with it and then, for whatever reason, it slipped away.
So imagine my surprise when last Saturday, as I left my house way out in the boondocks to make a very late trip to the grocery store, I spied – this. Just at the end of my road.
Turn right for the grocery store, turn left for the buffet.
I had both of the boys in the car with me, it was after 5 pm….and I did not need a buffet. But I’m still just sitting at the stop sign. Right? Or left?
Finally I decided if the little yard sale was still set up when I came back by, knowing it wouldn’t be – it was already after 5, I’d stop. And, since it was already strapped to a trailer, maybe someone had already bought it. I hoped.
But then, just after six, when I finally made my way back by – there she was. Still sitting, strapped to that trailer looking for all the world like she was waiting for me.
Number eight eight two two three. Undoubtedly her auction number at some point. How did she end up here, on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere?
I was telling myself as I walked up and was watching them put their stuff away, surely she’s sold. I do not need a buffet.
I apologized profusely for stopping at such a late hour all while they were trying to pack up, hoping they’d run me off.
I heard myself saying I won’t take up too much of your time, I’m sure it’s already sold, but I wanted to ask about the buffet.
Oh it’s not sold, he tells me. {Great.}
His daughter is asking 200.00 for it. It was 250.00
Ok. Done deal because 1) I already know I can’t pay that much for it and 2) I do not need a buffet.
As I start to walk away he tells me, “We’ll be back tomorrow and she might take less!” Doesn’t this man know I do not need a buffet!
At some point, as I would later discover in one of her drawers, someone felt like she was worth $500 or best offer. Truth be told, she’d be worth $5 to 6 thousand dollars if she were in good shape.
But she’s not.
Not only is her veneer peeling but there’s water damage to her top.
I cannot image what she must have been thinking while she rotted away, where ever she was.
‘Is it the water rings they see when they look at me?’
Evidence of of better, happier and merrier times when she was in her prime. When she was kept in a festive dining hall instead of a barn.
‘Is it the wavy and bubbling veneer on my drawers they see, do they hold that against me?’
‘I know my once sturdy top is loose, but can’t you fix that?’
‘Or maybe it’s the missing veneer on my cabinet door?’
And oh how she must have been heartbroken when her beautiful fretwork began to peel and fall off.
When her sturdy walnut legs began to crack, I am sure she lost all hope.
She has this one drawer that I cannot open to save my life.
I am sure it’s just because, structurally, she just needs to be tightened up a bit. I find myself strangely satisfied after I manage to pry it open about half an inch. I fully expect to find something magical inside.
What I find is disappointment when I see the drawer is empty, which makes me feel silly for thinking there must have been some sort of treasure in there in the first place.
Because her real treasure is on the outside. Sure her six amazing legs are less than perfect but their sturdy walnut has a least another 100 years left in them yet.
And for all the years and all the weight these little wheels have had to bare, they haven’t failed her.
And while I am afraid she might have already given up hope of a new life, it isn’t her bubbling veneer, loose top or missing fretwork I see when I look at her.
I see her craftsmanship and an amazing attention to detail.
I see her clipped corner cabinets and her wide drawers – which span the entire front of her.
I see that she was made in a place called Hellam, PA over 90 years ago.
I see that she still has all of her original hardware and probably a million stories to tell, if only she could talk.
Luckily, a picture really is worth a thousand words.
I wound up going back to that little yard sale the next morning as we drove by headed for church – even though I did not need a buffet. I handed the little man my phone number and an offer.
“Tell her to call me if no one else comes to get her. I’m just down the street.”
I never expected that phone call.
But it came anyway.
And now, all that’s left to decide is how to give her the fresh new life she so richly deserves.
I still do not need a buffet.
I love how you put yourself in her shoes and imagine her life from her perspective. She’s a beauty and I know she’ll be happy to be restored to her former glory in your talented hands!
I need a buffet 😉
Thanks Brandy! We definitely have a special connection, she and I. I mean, we all get older and feel a little less special don’t we?
I can’t wait to see what you do with her. She is absolutely gorgeous. And who says “need” needs to have anything to do with it anyway? 🙂
You so get me Karah! LOL Thank you!
Jaime, what a grand story, befitting a grand Jacobean piece. I await your telling of its restoration. I hope you are able to make molds of the details for the parts that are missing. Truth be told, NO ONE needs a buffet, but owning one so amazingly transformed can be so delicious.
La [email protected]
Every time I was pregnant I wanted to name our boys Jakoby. My husband was never on board. I told him this was a sign! LOL Thank you!
You have much more discipline than I to walk away the first time. I look forward to seeing its transformation.
~Ally
I would have regretted it forever if I hadn’t gotten that phone call! LOL
Can’t wait to see how you bring her back to life!!! Beautiful!
I can’t wait either and I both love and hate the idea of all that work! Thank you!
I’m so glad there is someone else in this world who looks at a piece like this & sees beauty instead of junk. She is a beauty & she needed you even if you didn’t need a buffet. How’s she doing now?
I inherited a buffet from my grandmother, which somehow ended up in my mother’s house. She over watered a plant without realizing it & now my buffet has water damage to it too. Is there a way to repair the damage? Thanks for any suggestions/help you may have to offer.
She’s still sitting in the same place in my living room. I will look at her every day until she tells me what she wants me to do with her. Yes. I talk to furniture. 😉
Water damage is tricky. It can definitely be repaired. How depends on how bad the damage is. Is it just a water ring or does the damage go deeper than that, i.e. bubbling veneer or wood?
I absolutely would have done the same thing… That piece was calling your name! The lines and detail and just the whole thing!!! 🙂 I cannot wait to see what you do for a makeover!! It is a really cool piece! Good luck! Jeanne
(so glad to have found your blog… cute stuff)
Glad you found me, too! Thank you!
jamie, so glad you found her, restore her to her original state and she will hold a lifetime of memories for you. i have been looking for a buffet for 10 years, one like my parents had when i was a child, while i realize ill probably never find that one,i have also come to the conclusion,i can’t afford one either, so the next best thing has happened i was given a 9 drawer dresser fairly old, and iam going to repurpose it as a buffet, what a journey it will be and i willblog the process, good luck to you on your journey!
Thank you Pamela and good luck to you, too!
We have that exact buffet, also a sideboard, china cabinet, table and 5 chairs. We bought it 30 years ago in
Tennessee from some friends.
We paid 450.00 for all the pieces. My husband refinished it, and it is beautiful. If you are interested, I can email you the pictures of this set. We researched it from a label on the underside of the leaf of the table. It was Hellam Furniture Co. in Pennsylvania, Suite 540.
Dear Jamie,
We are very interested in what you do with this piece. We have a dining table and chairs that is the match to your buffet that was in my grandmothers dining room when i was a child some 60+ years ago. The buffet has long since disappeared. We are in the process of restoring the table to it’s original condition. Your piece is the buffet that I remember. Would it be possible to get drawings or dimensions of the buffet that we could use to reproduce it?
We would appreciate any information or help that you can give us.
Hi Ken,
That’s incredible! I be the other pieces are just as impressive as the buffet. I don’t think you’d want any drawings from me but I am happy to send you measurements and additional pics. Just shoot me an email at Jamie @ Southern Revivals.com (without the spaces in between, of course)
Hi Ken,
I have the entire set set! Dinning table, (no chairs) the same side board, China cabinet, and smaller side board we used for drinks. This is located in NY. Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing. If possible I will post some pictures.
I thoroughly enjoyed your story and the pictures of your buffet find! Have you begun the restoration process? I, too, have an old buffet that was passed down from an aunt – no history as to it’s origins. the veneer came off the top – we stained and sealed the beautiful wood underneath but now the front needs attention. Paint it? Would that be a crime? Oil it up and restore the wood? Not sure what to do. Look forward to seeing pictures of your beauty!
Daphne,
I am interested and would like to see some pictures.
(whisper voice) I thought I was the only one that talked to my furniture! I’m so glad I found your page! I have an amazing buffet that is in very sad shape. But all I see is her beauty. I have been keeping an eye on her for months and to my surprise no one else has snatched her up. So I finally gave in and got her and a smaller side table for an absolute steel! I have never had to repair veneer so severely damaged before. Water damage, peeling and lots of missing pieces. I’m not really sure where to start. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!
Jamie! I am so excited to see what you came up with to fix her up! Has she told you what she wanted yet?
Right now she’s telling me to get her out of my garage! 🙁
I found your blog through a Pinterest photo, your Black and Gold classic dresser – beautiful! I’ve been reading some of your blog and came across this piece. I’m touched by your sensitivity to things, the grasshopper, this buffet, and the fact that you wait until a piece tells you what it wants. Some people would be quick to paint it white and sell it on Craigslist. Thank you for the inspiration – I hope you show us some of the process and I can’t wait to see the final product!
That really means a lot to me! Thank you! I will definitely share the process along with the reveal. Glad you found me!
Hi Jaime!
I just found your page and I’m so happy I did! I have been going all your posts and I just love the way you have presented yourself, your struggles and your projects. This piece would have called to me too and who says you don’t need her?! Maybe getting her back to her former gorgeousness will somehow have a huge impact on your life. I firmly believe everything happens for a reason and perhaps she just hasn’t whispered her reasons to you yet. She will though! Enjoy the journey.
I love this! Thank you! You’re right. She still hasn’t told me yet. But she will. She will.
I can hardly wait to see how you bring this piece of furniture back to life.
Any progress on this piece yet?
I’m afraid not!
Can not wait to see what you will do … this piece is amazing!
Very interesting story. Thank you so much for sharing. I just purchased a suite 550 console today. It is in gorgeous condition. However, I can’t find any information on it on the web. Can you help? Thanks
Hi Susan, I’d be glad to try but I am certainly no expert. Feel free to email me.
would like to stay in the loop for the restoration
That was such a captivating story and I experienced all those emotions and am tearing up from reading it. It is such a gorgeous piece. You’re right, I bet that piece would have sooo many good stories to tell. I really want to see what happens with this piece but just came upon this site and not sure if I’ll find my way back. I know you’ll do something beautiful. I hope it circles back and lets me see the results. You love furniture as much as I do and I am grateful for that!
Aww thank you, Diane!